Interpreters and Accessibility at Social Security Offices

Who Can Get Free Help at a Social Security Office

You can ask for help if English is not your first language, if you are deaf or hard of hearing, if you are blind or have low vision, or if any disability makes a visit, a phone call or a letter hard to manage. SSA’s own rules cover all of these. Language help falls under its interpreter policy. Disability help falls under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, which covers people with vision, hearing, mobility, cognitive, learning, psychological and other conditions.

Two points matter before anything else:

• You have to ask. SSA’s policy presumes you can do business without an accommodation unless you request one. It does not assume a need from a diagnosis.
• You don’t have to prove anything. SSA accepts an accommodation request based on the disability you describe. For a request outside its standard list, it may ask for medical records.

Help is the same in every office type: a field office, a resident station, one of the 7 Social Security card centers, or a hearing office. The 1,231 offices in this directory all follow the same interpreter and accommodation rules, though some extra equipment depends on the office.

How to Get a Free Social Security Interpreter

A social security interpreter costs you nothing. SSA’s policy is to provide an interpreter free of charge to anyone who asks for language help, and to offer one even if you don’t ask when it is clear you need it. You are not expected to bring your own.

By Phone

When you call SSA’s national number, 1-800-772-1213, say the name of your language as soon as an agent answers. SSA has a nationwide contract for telephone interpreting in more than 200 languages and dialects. Its staff can connect an interpreter right away, with no appointment, at any hour the line is open. The same service is used for phone appointments, so you can keep the interpreter on the line for the whole interview.

In Person

If you are booking a visit, tell SSA your language when you set the appointment. Staff are told to offer an in-office interpreter for a future in-office appointment. If you walk in, they can bring a phone interpreter into the conversation at the window or the interview desk.

Can’t explain which language you speak? Every field office has an interpreter poster and a language card that describe the interpreter policy in many languages. Point to your language on the card.

What Happens During the Interview

• The SSA employee speaks to you, not to the interpreter, one question at a time.
• The interpreter repeats exactly what each person says. They should not add, leave out or change anything.
• At the end, you sign a statement that the interview was in your preferred language and that the statement was read to you in that language.

Your letters will mostly arrive in English. SSA’s systems generate Social Security and SSI notices only in English and Spanish. If you read another language, call the national number with an interpreter and ask them to explain the letter, or look for translated publications on SSA’s Multilanguage Gateway.

If you missed an appeal deadline because you couldn’t read English, tell SSA. Its rules let it find good cause for late filing when limited English kept you from filing on time or understanding that you needed to. The hearing offices and appeals guide explains the appeal levels.

Bringing Your Own Interpreter or Helper

You may bring a relative, friend or community volunteer to interpret. SSA will first explain that it can give you a qualified interpreter at no cost. If you still want your own, staff check the person’s identity and whether they meet SSA’s standards, and your interpreter signs a form (SSA-795) agreeing to interpret accurately. SSA only pays for interpreters it arranges.

A few limits apply:

• No children. SSA generally won’t let anyone under 18 interpret.
• No conflict of interest. The person must have no personal stake that could bend the interpretation. Someone on the same Social Security record can interpret if there is no other conflict.
• Accuracy comes first. If staff believe your interpreter isn’t passing on what you say, they will offer an SSA interpreter.

A family member who comes along to help you hear, read or move around the office is welcome too. SSA doesn’t record that as an accommodation it provided, because you arranged it yourself.

Sign Language Interpreters and Deaf or Hard-of-Hearing Options

SSA must provide a sign language interpreter if you are deaf or hard of hearing and need one to communicate. When SSA arranges the interpreter, that person must be certified (by the Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf, the National Association of the Deaf, or a state Level III screening) and qualified to interpret accurately.

The most reliable way to get one is to book an appointment and ask for the interpreter at the same time. Interpreters are hired locally, so advance notice matters. If you walk in without an appointment, you may have to wait while scheduled visitors are served, and staff can book you a return visit with an interpreter.

At the reception window of every field office and card center, look for the large options card for deaf and hard-of-hearing visitors. It lists the ways you can communicate that day:

• a certified and qualified sign language interpreter;
• a video remote interpreter on a screen;
• an SSA employee who is a qualified interpreter;
• handwritten notes;
• lip reading or speech reading;
• an SSA employee who knows American Sign Language;
• a UbiDuo, a two-screen typing device that works like text messaging;
• another method you name, which staff handle as a special request.

If an interpreter isn’t working for you, you can stop. SSA’s rule is that you don’t have to continue with an interpreter you can’t communicate with. Staff protect your filing date and end the interview until a suitable interpreter is found. You can also switch to a different method partway through.

To reach SSA by phone, the TTY number is 1-800-325-0778.

Reasonable Accommodations for Other Disabilities

Beyond interpreters, SSA sorts accommodations into three groups.

Standard accommodations are offered in every SSA office without a manager’s approval: a sign language interpreter, handwritten notes, and lip reading. Some still need notice, and staff should tell you if there will be a delay.

Locally available accommodations depend on the office. SSA’s examples include an assisted listening device or hearing loop, a bariatric chair, CapTel captioned phone service, real-time court reporting, a video remote interpreter and a UbiDuo. Call the office before your visit to confirm what it has. You’ll find each office’s phone number on its page, such as the Kissimmee Social Security Office or the Wilson Social Security Office.

Non-standard accommodations are anything SSA doesn’t routinely provide. Staff first offer other options, such as online services or a phone appointment. If none of those will work, the request goes to SSA’s Reasonable Accommodation staff. Their goal is a decision within 2 weeks, and complex requests can take up to 6 weeks. You get the answer in writing.

There are no appeal rights on an accommodation decision. If SSA turns a request down, you can ask for a different accommodation, or ask again with new information explaining why you need it.

Keep two limits in mind. An accommodation is not a decision on your disability claim. And SSA’s safety rules come first: a person barred from in-person service must use the phone or online services instead. The office security guide covers what to expect at the door.

Notices in Braille, Large Print or Audio

If you are blind or have low vision, you can choose how SSA sends your letters. These Special Notice Options are standard accommodations:

• standard print by first-class mail;
• standard print by certified mail;
• standard print by first-class mail, followed by a phone call;
• standard print plus a Braille notice;
• standard print plus a data CD with a Microsoft Word file;
• standard print plus an audio CD with a recording of the notice;
• standard print plus a large print (18-point) notice.

You choose one option. A request for two formats, or for one of these formats because of a disability other than vision loss, is reviewed as a non-standard accommodation. You can set your choice by calling the national number, at any office, or online at ssa.gov.

How to Request Each Kind of Help

Help you need	How to ask	When to ask
Spoken-language interpreter by phone	Say your language when an agent answers at 1-800-772-1213	During the call
Spoken-language interpreter in person	Tell SSA your language when you book the visit	When you schedule
Sign language interpreter	Ask when you book the appointment, or call or write the office	Ahead of the visit
Handwritten notes, lip reading, UbiDuo	Ask at the reception window or point to the options card	On the day
Hearing loop, CapTel, bariatric chair	Call the office to confirm it has the equipment	Before you go
Braille, large print, audio CD, Word file on CD	National number, any office, or ssa.gov online	Any time
Something not on SSA’s lists	Ask staff, who refer it to Reasonable Accommodation	Allow up to 6 weeks

You can make any of these requests at a hearing office as well. For a hearing, contact the hearing office handling your appeal well ahead of the date, because the judge’s office arranges and approves the sign language interpreter. Large hearing offices include Milwaukee, Boston and Sacramento. The Susanville Social Security Office sends its appeals to Sacramento, and every field office page names its hearing office. Browse them all on the hearing office list.

Making Your Visit Go Smoothly

1. Check whether you need to go in at all with the visit checker. A phone or video appointment can avoid travel entirely.
2. Find your office with the ZIP code office finder or the office directory.
3. Book an appointment and name every kind of help you need at the same time.
4. Call the office a day or two ahead to confirm the interpreter or equipment is arranged.
5. On the day, tell the reception window right away. If the interpreter doesn’t show, staff should offer to reschedule, find another interpreter, or use a qualified employee.

If you believe SSA discriminated against you because of a disability, you can file a complaint at any time on Form SSA-437 or in a letter with the same details.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does SSA Charge for an Interpreter?

No. SSA provides interpreters free of charge, and it does not require you to bring your own. If you hire a private interpreter yourself, SSA does not pay for that person.

Can My Child Interpret for Me at Social Security?

Generally no. SSA's policy is that it will not usually let a child under 18 serve as an interpreter, because of how complex its interviews are. Ask SSA for a free interpreter instead.

Will My Letters From Social Security Come in My Language?

SSA's systems generate notices for Social Security and SSI claims in English and Spanish. If you read another language, the Multilanguage Gateway on ssa.gov has publications in many languages, and an interpreter can explain a letter to you on the phone or at the office.

Do I Have to Prove My Disability to Get an Accommodation?

No. SSA accepts accommodation requests based on the disability you describe. For some non-standard requests, SSA may ask for medical documentation to verify the need.

Does Getting an Accommodation Mean My Disability Claim Is Approved?

No. SSA's policy says that providing an accommodation is not an allowance of Social Security or SSI benefits and is not a finding that you are disabled under its programs.

Can I Ask for More Than One Notice Format?

Through the standard process you choose one special notice option. A request for more than one format is handled as a non-standard accommodation and sent to SSA's Reasonable Accommodation staff for review.

Keep Reading

• Make an AppointmentHow to schedule an office or phone appointment with SSA and what to have ready
• Video AppointmentsHow SSA meets people by video at partner sites, and who it suits
• Office Closed or MovedHow to find the office that serves you now after a closure, move or emergency closing
• Hearing Offices and AppealsThe appeal steps that lead to a hearing and how SSA's hearing offices work
• Card CentersWhat SSA's card centers handle, where they are and when to use a regular office
• Office Security RulesThe security screening at SSA offices and what you can and can't bring in

Sources

1. SSA POMS GN 00203.011: Limited English proficiency and interpreters
2. SSA POMS GN 00203.012: Deaf or hard-of-hearing customers
3. SSA POMS GN 00211.001: Section 504 standard and non-standard accommodations